Analysis: if Bertelsmann, owner of Penguin Random House, buys US publisher, writers expect smaller deals and less choice for readersUK watchdog investigates Penguin owner’s Simon & Schuster takeoverJokes circulated online when, in 2013, Penguin and Random House merged: would the new mega-publisher, which became the world’s biggest trade publishing group, be known as Random Penguin? Penguin House? Now, as the prosaically named Penguin Random House’s parent company Bertelsmann’s $2.17bn acquisition of Simon & Schuster comes under scrutiny in the UK, the jokes are fewer and further between.Authors have made it abundantly clear that they fear the fallout if the deal goes ahead. When it was first announced last November, the Authors Guild in the US was quick to register its objections. The acquisition, which would bring heavyweight S&S authors including Hillary Clinton, John Irving, Stephen King and Bob Woodward under the PRH umbrella in the US, would “creat[e] a huge imbalance in the US publishing industry”, it warned, calling on the US justice department to step in. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2021-03-22 23:24:23 UTC ]
There are a multitude of effects the changes in publishing have had on the industry -- but less well understood are what it has meant for the people working in the industry. We surveyed over 200 publishing employees in business and revenue roles to understand how work culture, mental health, the... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2020-01-07 05:01:49 UTC ]
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After beginning 2019 with 10 companies, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index was down to only eight members at the close of the year, losing Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster. The remaining companies saw their combined stock price decline by 9%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-01-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In the 2010s, the publishing industry finally wrestled with its problems with diversity. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2019-12-22 13:00:22 UTC ]
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This week on The Maris Review, Susan Orlean joins Maris Kreizman to discuss her latest book, The Library Book, now available in paperback from Simon & Schuster. On how fire has shaped California: Maris Kreizman: A chilling thing that I realized when we first talked about the book is that you... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-12-19 09:48:21 UTC ]
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Picador commissioning editor Kishani Widyaratna (pictured) and Influx Press co-founder Kit Caless have launched a fundraiser for people in the publishing industry to donate money to the Trussell Trust with nearly £4,000 raised within five hours. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-16 19:29:32 UTC ]
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Now more than ever, the publishing industry finds itself on a quest for more effective ways to make money. For the past few years, the industry has been working through a regular cycle of taglines and keywords: ‘metered models,’ ‘memberships,’ ‘registration paywalls,’ dynamic paywalls,’ and so... Continue reading at Publishing Executive
[ Publishing Executive | 2019-12-11 16:35:15 UTC ]
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On December 5, New York's trade publishing community packed the TimesCenter in Manhattan to hear a who's who of authors remember the highly regarded Random House publisher Susan Kamil, who died suddenly on September 8 at 69. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-12-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Yesterday morning, Gordon Sondland, the Trump donor turned US ambassador to the European Union, gave explosive testimony in the impeachment inquiry—directly tying the president and his top allies, including Mikes Pence and Pompeo, to the Ukraine scandal. Comparisons to John Dean’s testimony that... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2019-11-21 12:58:24 UTC ]
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Random House announced today that they’ve acquired the rights to a series of books based on the New York Times Magazine’s extraordinarily popular “1619 Project,” which interrogates received perspectives on four centuries of slavery in America through essays, stories, histories, poems, and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-20 13:52:40 UTC ]
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Discover the opportunities in buying and selling rights in Sharjah and the wider Arab Market at this free half-day seminar on Thursday 5 December 2019. The day, which forms part of The London Book Fair Market Focus Professional Programme will feature a fantastic line-up of speakers looking at... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-11-20 11:14:33 UTC ]
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At the 70th National Book Awards, held again this year at Cipriani Wall Street in lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, LeVar Burton presided over a smoothly run evening attended by a typically ebullient and dapper publishing industry crowd. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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In the modern media environment, publishers need a formula for success that they can depend on—not just for today, but one that will allow them to adapt for the trends of tomorrow. That means embracing three key ingredients that every publisher needs to ensure future-readiness, regardless of... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-11-19 17:38:05 UTC ]
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Andy Ward has been named a new vice president and publisher at Random House. Formerly editor in chief, Ward moves into the spot long held by the beloved Susan Kamil, who died in September. Ward has edited the likes of David Mitchell, George Saunders, and Imbolo Mbue, and will see his role as... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-11-19 15:22:43 UTC ]
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Ian Williams has won the C$100,000 Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's most prestigious and richest award for fiction, for his debut novel, 'Reproduction,' published by Random House Canada. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-19 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Andy Ward has been promoted to Random House US publisher effective immediately. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-18 15:04:10 UTC ]
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At Penguin Random House's flagship imprint, Andy Ward has been promoted to publisher, while Knopf's Robin Desser has been tapped as senior v-p and editor-in-chief. Ward is replacing Susan Kamil, who died, suddenly, last month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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More small strides were made in 2018 toward addressing issues of pay disparity and diversification of the workforce. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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From cultural appropriation to literary snobbery, campaigning author Kit de Waal is well known for holding the publishing industry to account. Her passionate, inclusive and activist spirit has seen her named 2019 FutureBook Person of the Year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-14 16:22:05 UTC ]
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Worldwide revenues at Simon & Schuster have dipped by 9% to $217m for the third quarter of 2019, from $240m for the same period last year, parent firm CBS has revealed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-12 05:24:03 UTC ]
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Profits rose by $1 million at Simon & Schuster in the third quarter of 2019 over the comparable period in 2018, despite a 9% drop in sales. In last year's third quarter, Bob Woodward's 'Fear' drove strong sales for the publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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